Malting apparatus.



W. H. PRINZ.

MALTING APPARATUS.

APIBLIOATION FILED AUG. 22, 1903.

958,823. Patented May 24, 1910.

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ANDHEW a GRAHAM L0. F 'O-LITNQGRAPMERS,WNiNlNGTON. an;

W. H. PRINZ. MALTING APPARATUS.

I APPLIOATION IILBD AUG. 22, 1903. 958,823. Patented May 24, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ANDREW s GRAHAM co, Pworuuwocnwuws, wAsmuuw-u. a:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.WILLIAM H. PRINZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MALTING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. PRINZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Malting Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawmgs.

My invention relates to apparatus for malting grain, and has to do particularly with malting-apparatus comprising a compartment-drum having an imperforate casing throughout, with means for supplying attemperated air to the several compartments and distributing it uniformly throughout the grain therein, as described in my application for patent, Serial Number 17 0,416, filed August 22, 1903. In the apparatus illustrated in my said application the fresh air is introduced into the malting-compartments axially, passing through the malt from the center toward the circumference and escaping from the compartments through perforated conduits carried in the several compartments near the outer surfaces thereof,said conduits communicating with an intermediate compartment. The foul air passes from the said intermediate compartment to a suitable tunnel, which communicates with the mechanismsuch as an exhaust fan-by which the circulation of air throughout the system is maintained; but, as explained in said application, the invention generically claimed therein includes also the supplying of air to the compartments at the outer portions thereof and withdrawing it axially. My present invention in part involves the latter feature, but also has to do with certain other features hereinafter pointed out. The apparatus employed is in many respects similar to the other,diifering principally in the arrangement of the fines by which fresh air is supplied to, and foul air conducted from, the compartments.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a drum embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a horizontal view of the upper floor of a malt house, showing the arrangement of the at temperator, the fan and the flues leading to the different air-tunnels; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the malting room.

Referring to the drawings,AB indicate malting-compartments, and C an intermediate compartment, which together Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 22, 1903.

Patented May 24, 1910. Serial No. 170,417.

form the drum. It will be understood that the number of compartments may be varied as desired, and that an intermediate compartment C is provided between each pair of malting-compartments AB.

1011 indicate the casings or shells of the compartments A, B, respectively, and 12 the casing of the compartment C. The shells 1011 are secured at their inner ends to heads let-14, respectively, and at their outer ends to heads 1516, respectively. The heads 13-14 are rigidly connected by a series of plates 17, as shown in Fig. 1.

18-19 indicate supports, which carry rollers (not shown), on which the drum rotates-annular rails 20 being provided at suitable points on the drum to engage said rollers, as described in my said application.

The shell 12 of compartment C does not rotate,-being secured loosely at its edges between flanges 21-22 of the heads 13-14, respectively, as fully described in my application Serial Number 170,414, filed August 22, 1903. The ends of the shell 12 are separated and fit closely around an airconduit 23 at the bottom of the drum,whioh conduit communicates with an air-tunnel 24, as shown in Fig. 1.

25-26 indicate conveyers, which receive and carry off the grain from the drum-compartments,suitable manholes being provided in the drum-casings for the discharge of the grain therefrom.

27-28 indicate perforated conduits, which extend longitudinally of the compartments A-B and are concentrically disposed,- their ends being fitted in the heads of their respective compartments, as shown in Fig. 1. The inner ends of the conduits 2728 are closed by plates 2930 securely fastened to the heads 1314, respectively,forming air-tight closures at those points.

31 indicates an air-conduit, which communicates through a T-connection 32 with an external extension 33 of the conduit 27 as described in my former application, Serial Number 170,414.

34 indicates a conduit at the other end of the drum, which communicates through a T-connection 35 with an extension 86 of the conduit 28,-the arrangement being such that the drum, with the extensions 33 and 30, may rotate freely, meanwhile being in communication with the conduits 31-34, as described in my said application, Serial Number 170,414. The conduit 31 communicates with an air-tunnel 37, and the conduit 34 with an air-tunnel 38.

39-40 indicate valves in the conduits 3134;, respectively.

4:l4'2 indicate perforated conduits in the outer portions of the compartments 1 B, respectively. The conduits t1 t2 are secured in the heads of their respective compartments at short intervals, their inner ends projecting through the heads 13-1 1, respectively, into the compartment C, as shown in Fig. l,-thus communicating with the compartment C, so that fresh air in said compartment may enter said conduits and by them be delivered to the compartments A-B, respectively, passing out through conduits 27*28 and the conduits 3l34; which communicate with them respectively. In this construction, the tunnel 24 is the freshair tunnel, while the tunnels 37-38 are foulair tunnels.

As explained in my application, Serial Number 170,416, during the process of malt-- ing the drum rotates'slowly,the result being that the upper surface of the gain therein assumes an inclined position; consequently there are always some of the conduits 41d2 that are not covered by the grain in the compartments, and such uncovered conduits have their inner ends temporarily closed thereby, for the time being, making them inoperative-by shields 4L3et l secured to the casing 12 and overlying the inner ends of the exposed conduits 41%2, as described in my said application.

45 indicates swinging cover-plates for the outer ends of the conduits dl lfi, as shown in Fig. 1.

The drum may be rotated in any suitable manner,-preferably by worms 16, operating in connection with worm-wheels 47, as described in the applications above referred to.

As best shown in Fig. 3, a series of drums are arranged side by side in the malting room D which is preferably on the lower floor of the malt houseand the tunnels 3738 extend longitudinally of the malt house under said malting room, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

1849 indicate flues, which communicate, respectively, with the tunnels 37-38, and terminate in a room E containing an exhaust fan 50, by which air is exhausted from said fines and the tunnels 3738.

F indicates the attemperator room, which cmnmunicates with tunnel 2% by means of a flue 51, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Suitable valves are provided for all of said flues.

52 indicates the attemperator, which is preferably of the construction described in my application Serial Number 170,414, and is placed between the upper end of the flue 51 and air-inlets 5354. By this construction, fresh air passes from the attemperator down through flue 51 to tunnel 24;, thence passing up through conduit- 23 to compartment G, where it enters the lower conduits LL-(L2, by them being distributed lengthwise of the compartments AB at the outer portions thereof. The air passes through the malt toward the center of the compartments, and escapes through conduits 2728 and tunnels 37-38 which communicate with them,-thus providing inwardly-flowing currents of air for ventilating the grain. It will be noted that the general direction of the air in both compartments is from the inner end portions thereof outward, so that the air flows in opposite directions in adjacent compartments, consequently the foul air from one compartment does not mingle with the fresh air going to the other compartment.

By placing a pressure-fan in the attemperator room the circulation of the air in the manner described may be effected by pressure, instead of by suction; and my invention includes either arrangement. Moreover, my invention is not restricted to the specific details of the construction described, except in so far as they are particularly claimed.

That which I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate malting compartments arranged coaxially, means connecting said compartments so that they rotate in unison, and means communicating with both ends of each of said compartments for directing freshair through said compartments from the outer portions toward the axes thereof and toward opposite end portions of said compartments.

2. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate malting compartments arranged coaxially, means connecting said compartments so that they rotate in unison, and means communicating with both ends of each of said compartments for establishing a circulation of air through said compartments from the outer portions toward the axes thereof and from their inner end portions toward their outer end portions.

3. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperfo-rate malting compartments arranged coaxially, means connecting said compartments together so that they rotate in unison, and means communicating with both ends of each of said compartments for directing fresh air through said compartments in opposite directions.

4:. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate malting compartments, means connecting said compartments together so that they rotate in unison, means communicating with the inner end portion of each of said compartments for supplying fresh air thereto, means communicating With said compartments near the axes thereof for removing foul air therefrom, and means for preventing air from entering said compartments above the surface of the grain therein.

5. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate malting compartments arranged coaxially, means connecting said compartments together so that they rotate in unison, means communicating with the inner end portions of each of said malting compartments near the peripheries thereof for supplying attemperated air thereto, and means communicating axially With the outer end portions of said compartments for conducting foul air therefrom.

6. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate malting compartments arranged coaXially, a stationary intermediate compartment between adjacent malting compartments, means connecting said rotary compartments together so that they rotate in unison, means for rotating said malting compartments, and means coinmunicating with the inner ends of said malting compartments for supplying attemperated air thereto.

7. A malting apparatus, comprising a sta tionary intermediate compartment, rotary malting compartments at opposite sides of said intermediate compartment, means connecting said rotary compartments together so that they rotate in unison, air conduits in the outer portions of said malting compartments, communicating with said intermediate compartment for supplying attemperated air to said malting compartments, and a central air conduit in each of said malting compartments for conducting foul air therefrom.

8. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate malting compartments, perforated air conduits in said compartments near the peripheries thereof, means connecting said compartments together so that they rotate in unison, an intermediate compartment, the ends of said conduits communicating with said intermediate compartment, a separate air conduit communicating With said intermediate compartment, means for temporarily closing said firstunentioned conduits successively as said compartments rotate, means for rotating said malting compartments, and means for supplying fresh air to said intermediate compartment through said separate air conduit.

9. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate maltin com partments, perforated air conduits in said compartments near the peripheries thereof, means connecting said compartments togetherso that they rotate in unison, an intermediate compartment, the ends of said conduits communicating With said intermediate compartment, a separate air conduit communicating with said intermediate compartment, means for temporarily closing said first-mentioned conduits successively as said malting compartments rotate, means for rotating said malting compartments, means for supplying fresh air to said intermediate compartment through said separate air conduit, and means for conducting foul air axially from said malting compartments.

10. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate malting compartments, perforated air conduits in said compartments near the peripheries thereof, means connecting said compartments together so that they rotate in unison, an intermediate stationary compartment, the ends of said conduits communicating with said intermediate compartment, a separate air conduit communicating With said intermediate compartment, means for temporarily closing said firstmentioned conduits successively as said malting compartments rotate, means for' rotating said malting compartments, and means for supplying fresh air to said intermediate compartment through said separate air conduit.

11. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary malting compartments, an intermediate compartment be-.

tween said malting compartments, means connecting said malting compartments together so that they rotate in unison, perforated air conduits in said malting oompartments near the peripheries thereof, the inner ends of said perforated conduits extending into said intermediate compartment, stationary shields in the upper portion of said intermediate compartment for successively closing the projecting ends of said perforated conduits as the compartments rotate, means for supplying fresh attemperated air to said intermediate compartment, and means for conducting foul air from said malting compartments.

12. A malting apparatus, comprising a plurality of rotary imperforate malting compartment-s, an intermediate stationary compartment, means connecting said malting compartments together so that they rotate in unison, means for causing air from said intermediate compartment to flow inwardly through the malt in said malting compartments, and means communicating axially With said malting compartments for conducting foul air therefrom.

XVILLIAM H. PRINZ.

WVitnesses:

J GEN L. J AOKSON, MINNIE A. HUNTER. 

